A Thing Called Love - Jill Sanders Page 0,3

course, the Jordan clan had a plethora of fine men. She’d met all of them, including the three unmarried men around her own age. The most eligible bachelors along the Oregon coast, as everyone in town was calling them.

She’d found them all extremely sexy. Lilly’s brother George was nice, but a total player. Every time she’d seen him, he’d had a different woman on his arm.

Riley’s twin brother, Jacob, was sweet, almost too sweet. He was very helpful at every event their family went to, including the wedding tonight.

Riley’s older brother Conner was, well, the sexiest man she’d seen by far. But he’d only said a few words to her in the entire time Kara had been in town.

“Where’s the beer?” had been the first, followed by, “Where’s your sister?”

That had given her the idea that Robin had somehow caught his eye, which in the sister code book meant he was off the menu.

A large wave almost knocked her under, causing her to realize that she’d drifted out farther than she’d wanted. When she tried to stand up, her feet found only water underneath.

Sputtering slightly, she spit out the saltwater she’d sucked into her mouth and glanced towards land. Another larger wave pushed her head under again. This time she coughed as she spat out the water.

When another wave hit her, she began to understand that she was in major trouble.

Suddenly, strong arms circled her waist, pulling her up to the surface. She sucked in a large breath of air and held onto the muscles holding her.

She let her body go lax when he started working hard to get them both to safety.

When she felt the sand under her feet once again, she began laughing. She didn’t know why she did so, other than she was happy she was back to safety. Happy that she’d been saved.

“Are you okay?” a deep voice said as they rolled onto the sand. Water pushed sand into her bra and under her panties, but she didn’t care. She was safe.

Her fingers dug into the coldness of the sand, and she enjoyed the coarseness of the grains under her fingertips.

Instead of answering, she continued to laugh.

“Hey.” Strong arms grabbed her shoulders. “Are you okay?” he repeated.

The moonlight hit his dark wet hair, and for a moment his slate blue eyes almost glowed in the darkness. She knew instantly that it was Conner. But for a moment, it was as if she was seeing the man for the first time.

“Yes,” she finally answered him, “I’m okay.”

Chapter Two

Conner was hovering over Kara, looking down into her hazel eyes and trying to decide if she needed further saving.

The fact that she was still smiling threw him off, and he frowned down at her.

Her dark hair was fanned out on the wet sand, and her pale skin almost glowed in the moonlight. The sight of her beauty at such a time caused him to wonder if she was part mermaid. After all, most women he’d known didn’t look half as good as she did after almost drowning.

He’d noticed how pretty she was the first time he’d seen her, but she’d been busy and, well, he’d been trying to avoid entanglements. The kind that came with sexy hazel eyes and skin he wanted to spend a lifetime exploring. He balled his hands beside her head in the sand to try and control the urge to lean down and kiss her lips, which were turned upward in a slight grin.

“You didn’t hit your head or anything, did you?” he asked, suddenly concerned that she was concussed.

“No.” He watched her lips as she smiled up at him. “I’m fine.”

Why hadn’t he seen how beautiful she was before? Sure, he’d noticed her. But the woman laughing back up at him now was a complete knockout. He felt the effects of her smile deep down in his soul.

Then he realized what had happened to her, how reckless she’d been, and he felt his temper grow.

“Do you have any idea how stupid it is to swim in the ocean at night?” he heard himself saying.

The fact that he too had been on an evening swim when he’d bumped into her warm body fighting the tide did little to discourage him from berating her.

His words cause that sexy smile to slip from her lips, and he realized he should have kept his mouth shut.

“I wasn’t in any danger. Not really,” she said softly. He knew instantly that she didn’t believe her own words. Then she reached